Q. You have done well in FT rankings but not so much in NIRF rankings. Why do you think that is?
A. Each ranking emphasises on different things and that's why different rankings will result in different outcomes. In the case of FT rankings, the focus is very much on the acceleration that the incoming MBA student gets as they exit the programme. There are other questions, of course, but that is the dominant driver. On that outcome, we seem to be outperforming our peers.
Now, NIRF has a different set of criteria. If you look at the one metric that swings the NIRF ranking, it basically is a 24% weightage on research. On all the other criteria, the various universities and schools are bunched closely together. Out of the five subdimensions of NIRF, we tend to be in the top five in three of them. The two criteria that we are behind is in research and peer perception - which is very opaque and nobody has any idea how that is calculated.
In research, everybody knows what they're measuring but we all have different opinions on whether they are measuring the right things.
Q. Why do you have a low score in research?
A. Because I think they're measuring the wrong things and I don't agree with what they're measuring. They're measuring two things-quantity and quality. In case of quantity, they're essentially measuring the SCOPUS score, looking at what these faculty have published on the SCOPUS database.
And that's a quantity measure; there is no difference between a high-quality journal and a low-quality journal. It is simply how many SCOPUS journals are indexed. So, if you want to play a low-quality SCOPUS game, it's a very easy one to play. There are 20,000 academic journals in the world and about 15,000 of them are quite useless. And it's very easy to publish in these. Nobody reads them and it doesn't really matter.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
'We have a completion rate of 80-90%'
During an interaction, Mayank Kumar, co-founder and managing director of upGrad, spoke to Sheena Sachdeva about new courses in accounting and management, the profile of learners, trends in online MBA courses, and more. Edited excerpts from the conversation below
New roles and spaces
Online MBA has helped many working professionals climb up the office hierarchy or even pivot to an entirely new career. But there are challenges.
'Committed to industry-relevant learning'
International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi, is India's first corporate-sponsored B-school. It offers three PG diplomas in management - the flagship PGDM with 300 seats, as well as human resource management and business and financial studies with 60 each. Himadri Das, director general, IMI, discussed the challenges posed by competition among private business schools, the importance of diversity, and IMI's NIRF rankings with Sanjay. Edited excerpts from the interview.
National Insurance Academy plans expansion to meet rising demand
The National Insurance Academy (NIA), now situated in Pune, was established jointly by the ministry of finance and all the major public sector undertakings (PSUs) in insurance. Originally a training institute for insurance industry professionals, it has been offering a postgraduate diploma in management (PGDM) since 2004 and has placed 100% of its students all through.
The era of MBA in sustainability
As companies are increasingly pushed to meet environmental compliances, management institutes are revamping their curricula with specialised MBA programmes in sustainability or launching new programmes
Despite good record, SRCC's PGDM faces degree hurdle
Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce started its postgraduate diploma in Global Business Operations (GBO) 25 years ago. Principal Simrit Kaur spoke to Shradha Chettri on their effort to convert the diploma into a degree programme, changes required in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and more. Edited excerpts
Managing produce, from farm to plate
Agribusiness managers are in great demand, both on the 'input' side of agriculture - seeds, fertilizer, machinery businesses - as well as in the processing of the 'output'
Creating 'innovators with conscience'
The SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai, has been the top Indian institution in the Financial Times' (FT) Masters in Management rankings for two years in a row. Varun Nagaraj, dean of SPJIMR, spoke to Atul Krishna about what the institute does differently, its plans, the future of business education, and the FT and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) lists. Edited excerpts below
'Quality management education that is equitable': FMS Dean
The Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) at the University of Delhi (DU) is one of India's premier business schools offering MBA courses at a relatively low cost, compared to most leading business schools in India. Celebrating its 70th year, it is also one of the first university-based business schools. In an interview with Sanjay, head and dean of FMS A Venkat Raman spoke about the functioning of a business school under a central university, challenges, courses and future plans. He also spoke on the Common Admission Test (CAT) and its impact on diversity in student cohorts. Edited excerpts
'THE CAMPUS IS AMAZING'
Four new IIMS - Bodh Gaya, Sambalpur, Jammu and Visakhapatnam - have found their permanent homes and they are beautiful, environment friendly and efficient campuses. Here's a quick tour.
